Subpart A-The Standard

§ 1204.1 Scope of the standard.

(a) General. This subpart A of part 1204 is a consumer product safety standard which prescribes safety requirements for Citizens Band omnidirectional base station antennas. The standard is intended to reduce the risk of electrocution or serious injuries occurring if the antenna contacts an electric power line while the antenna is being put up or taken down. One way that this can be accomplished is to insulate the antenna so that if it contacts the power line, there is less of a likelihood that a harmful electric current will be transmitted from the power line through the antenna and mast and ultimately through a person holding the antenna mast. Another possible way to provide this protection is to incorporate an insulating barrier between the antenna and the mast or other supporting structure, so that a harmful electric current will not pass from the antenna to a person in contact with the mast. (If this alternative were chosen, the feed cable from the

antenna would have to be insulated or otherwise protected so that it would not provide an electrical path to the mast or a person touching the cable.)

(b) Description of the standard-(1) Performance tests. The standard describes two performance tests to determine if the means chosen by the manufacturer to protect against the shock hazard will provide adequate protection.

(i) First, there is an Insulating Material Effectiveness Test (§1204.4(d) of this subpart) in which a high voltage electrode or test rod is brought into contact with the antenna at any point within the protection zone established by §1204.2(k) of this subpart to ensure that the insulation can withstand the voltage for 5 minutes without transmitting more than 5 milliamperes (mA) root-mean-square (rms) of electric cur

rent.

(ii) The other test is an AntennaMast System Test (§ 1204.4(e) of this subpart) which is intended to determine whether the means provided to protect against electrocution will withstand the stress imposed when an antenna-mast system falls onto a power line. This test consists of mounting the antenna to be tested on a specified mast and allowing the assembled antenna and mast to fall onto a power line of 14,500 volts rms phase to ground.

(2) Recommended materials. (i) Since a substantial portion of the accidents addressed by this standard occur when the antenna is being taken down after it has been installed in an outdoor environment for a number of years, the materials selected to provide protection from shock should be weather resistant.

(ii) Although other materials may also be suitable, materials meeting the following criteria should be reasonably weather resistant:

(A) Material composition includes an ultraviolet stabilizer or screen.

(B) Heat resistance of 212 °F (100 °C) without loss of elasticity (ANSI/ASTM D 746-79).

(C) Moisture absorption of not more than 0.2 percent (ANSI/ASTM D 570–77). (D) For heat shrinkable sleeving, temperature flexibility to -40 °F (-40 °C) with no cracks (Mil Spec. MIL-I23053C, 20 May 1976).

(3) Warning: Section 1204.5 of this subpart requires a statement in the instructions that the standard will not protect in every instance against electrocution caused by contact with power lines. This is because the standard is intended to provide protection for power line voltages of up to 14,500 volts. Some power lines carry more voltage than this. In addition, not all portions of the antenna are required to be insulated, and the antenna's mast is not required to be insulated. If the power line were to contact one of these uninsulated areas, an electrocution could occur. Furthermore, when the antenna was manufactured it may not in fact have complied with the standard, or the insulation may have deteriorated or been damaged since the antenna was manufactured. In addition, the insulation cannot withstand high voltages indefinitely, and, after a period of time, the current may penetrate the insulation. Therefore, even if a harmful amount of current is not transmitted immediately, the user should not attempt to remove an antenna that falls into electric power lines, since the insulation could break down while the antenna is being removed. For these reasons, persons handling these antennas should ensure that the antennas are kept away from power lines so that the antenna cannot contact the line while being transported, installed, or removed, even if the antenna is dropped. The Commission recommends that antennas be located at least twice the combined length of the antenna and mast from the nearest power line.

(c) Scope. (1) Except as noted below, the standard applies to all omnidirectional CB base station antennas that are consumer products and are manufactured or imported on or after May 24, 1983.

(2) The Commission may extend the effective date of the standard for as long as an additional 90 days for any firm which has 750 employees or fewer and, is not a subsidiary or division of a firm having more than 750 employees, and which manufactures or imports products subject to the standard, upon written application, addressed to the Associate Executive Director for Compliance and Administrative litigation,

Consumer Product Safety Commission, Washington, D.C. 20207, received not later than January 17, 1983. An application for extension of the effective date shall:

(i) Identify the requesting firm as a manufacturer or importer of products subject to the standard.

(ii) State the total number of employees of the firm, including all employees of any subsidiary or division, and all employees of any firm of which the requesting firm is a subsidiary or division.

(iii) Request extension of the effective date to a specific date not later than May 27, 1983.

(iv) Explain why the requested extension of the effective date is needed.

(v) Describe all activities undertaken by the requesting firm to achieve compliance with the requirements of the standard.

(vi) State that the requesting firm will market complying products after the extended effective date.

(3) The Associate Executive Director for Compliance and Administrative Litigation will evaluate each request for extension of the effective date. The following criteria will be used in determining whether to grant an application for extension of the effective date:

(i) Does the application demonstrate that the requesting firm cannot meet the general effective date,

(ii) Does the application demonstrate that the requesting firm has made a good faith effort to achieve compliance with the requirements of the standard by the general effective date.

(iii) Does the application demonstrate that the firm is likely to produce or market complying products if the requested extension is granted.

(4) The Associate Executive Director will advise each requesting firm in writing if the requested extension is granted or denied. If the Associate Executive Director for Compliance and Administrative Litigation denies a request for extension of the effective date, the firm may request the Commission to reconsider the denial.

(5) Section 3(a)(1) of the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2052(a)(1) defines the term consumer product as an "article, or component part thereof, produced or distributed (i)

for sale to a consumer for use in or around a permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation, or otherwise, or (ii) for the personal use, consumption or enjoyment of a consumer in or around a permanent or temporary household or residence, a school, in recreation, or otherwise." The term does not include products that are not customarily produced or distributed for sale to, or for the use or consumption by, or enjoyment of, a consumer. A limited exception from coverage of the standard is provided by section 18(a) of the CPSA, 15 U.S.C. 2067, for certain products intended for export and meeting the requirements of section 18(b) of the CPSA.

(d) Prohibited acts. It is unlawful to manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the United States any product subject to this standard that does not conform with the standard.

(Sec. 9(h), Pub. L. 92-573, 86 Stat. 1207, as amended, Pub. L. 95-319, 92 Stat. 386, Pub. L. 95-631, 92 Stat. 3742, Pub. L. 96373, 94 Stat. 1366, Pub. L. 97-35, 95 Stat. 703, 15 U.S.C. 2058(h))

[47 FR 36201, Aug. 19, 1982, as amended at 48 FR 29683, June 28, 1983]

§ 1204.2 Definitions.

In addition to the definitions given in section 3 of the Consumer Product Safety Act (15 U.S.C. 2052), the following definitions apply for the purposes of this standard.

(a) Antenna system means a device for radiating and/or receiving radio waves. Where they are present, the antenna system includes active elements, ground plane elements, matching networks, element-connecting hardware, mounting hardware, feed cable, and other functional or non-functional elements.

(b) Antenna-mast system means the completed assembly of the antenna system and the mast.

(c) Base station means a transmitter and/or receiver in a fixed location.

(d) Citizens Band (CB) means the frequency band allocated for citizen's band radio service.

(e) Current means the total rate at which electrical charge is transported through the antenna-mast system in

response to the applied test voltage, including both capacitive and resistive components.

(f) Electrical breakdown means a failure of the insulating material used with the antenna, such that in the Antenna-Mast System Test of § 1204.4(e) of this subpart, the current flowing through the antenna-mast system is sufficient to actuate the automatic internal cut-off of the high voltage source or exceeds the current that can be measured by the current monitoring device.

(g) Feed cable means the electrical cable that connects the antenna system to the transmitter and/or receiver.

(h) Field joint means any joint between antenna system sections or parts, or between the antenna system and the mast, that is not assembled by the antenna manufacturer.

(i) Insulating material and insulation mean a material that has a very small electric conductivity.

(j) Omnidirectional antenna means an antenna system designed or intended primarily to exhibit approximately equal signal transmission or reception capabilities in all horizontal directions simultaneously.

(k) Protection zone means that portion of an antenna system which can contact the test rod during the Insulating Material Effectiveness Test or can contact the power line during the Antenna-Mast System Test. This zone consists of those elements of the antenna system extending from the uppermost tip of an upright antenna downward to a point that is 12.0 inches (30.5 cm) above the top of the mast when the antenna system is mounted according to the manufacturer's instructions.

(1) Voltage, phase to ground, means that voltage which exists between a single phase of a three phase power system and ground.

§ 1204.3 Requirements.

All omnidirectional CB base station antennas are required to comply with the following requirements.

(a) Field joints. Parts or accessories intended to protect a field joint so that it will meet any other requirement of this standard, and that must be put into place by the person assembling the

antenna system, shall be integral with, or not readily removable from, at least one of the antenna sections or parts involved in the joint or shall be necessary in order to complete the joint.

(b) Feed cable. When compliance with the requirements of this standard depends on the insulating or other properties of the feed cable, at least 50 feet of the cable shall be supplied by the manufacturer with the antenna sys

tem.

(c) Electrical protection. Antenna systems shall be manufactured so that if all points within the protection zone of an antenna system were tested by the Insulating Material Effectiveness Test of § 1204.4(d) of this subpart, and the Antenna-Mast System Test of § 1204.4(e) of this subpart, the current measured by the current monitoring device connected to the mast would be no greater than 5.0 milliamperes rms and no electrical breakdown of the antenna system's insulating material would occur. § 1204.4 Electric shock protection tests.

(a) Safety precautions. For tests involving high voltage, the following recommended minimum safety precautions should be followed:

(1) At least one test operator and one test

observer (preferably one with cardiopulmonary resusitation (CPR) training) should be present at every test.

(2) The test area (outdoors or indoors) should secure against accidental intrusion by other persons during tests.

(3) Test areas located indoors should be ventilated to avoid buildup of potentially hazardous concentrations of gaseous byproducts which may result from the tests.

(4) Fire extinguishers should be easily accessible in case materials on the test specimen ignite.

(5) "High Voltage Test" warning devices should be activated before start of a test.

(6) Emergency phone numbers should be posted.

(b) Test conditions. (1) Specimens. All specimens shall be tested as supplied by the manufacturer, following assembly in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions except as provided in paragraph (e)(2) of this section.

(2) Temperature. Ambient temperature shall be in the range from 32 °F (0 °C) to 104 °F (40 °C)

(3) Relative humidity. Ambient relative humidity shall be in the range of from 10 to 90 percent.

(4) Voltage. Voltage, phase to ground, of the power line or test probe shall be 14.5 kilovolts rms, 60 hertz.

(5) Conditioning. Prior to testing, all specimens shall be exposed for at least 4 hours to the ambient test area environment.

(c) Test equipment. (1) High voltage source capable of delivering at least 15 mA rms at 14.5 kV rms, 60 Hz. The source should have an automatic internal cut-off actuated by a preset current level.

(2) Instrumentation to measure the rms voltage applied to the antenna system.

(3) Current monitoring device to indicate hazardous components of the total rms current flowing to ground through the mast. One configuration of the circuitry for the current monitoring device (shown in Figure 1) consists of three parallel branches as follows. One branch consists of a resistor in series with a true-rms milliammeter with a maximum error of 5% of the reading in the frequency range of 50Hz to 10MHz (the total of the resistor and the internal resistance of the milliammeter is to be 1000 ohms). A parallel branch consists of a 1000 ohm resistor in series with a 0.08 microfarad capacitor. Another parallel branch should consist of a spark gap rated at 50 to 100 volts as a meter protection device. A different current monitoring device may be used if the measured value of the rms current corresponds to that indicated by the configuration described above.

(4) For the Insulating Material Effectiveness Test:

(i) High voltage electrode or test rod consisting of 4 in. (6.4 mm) diameter aluminum rod.

(ii) Support jig, structure, or hanger made of insulating material which is capable of holding antenna system test specimens electrically isolated from all surrounding structures or ground.

(5) For the Antenna-Mast System Test, a high voltage test facility, as

shown in Figures 2 and 3, which includes a single power line spanning between two poles 95 to 105 feet (29 to 32 meters) apart, a tensioning device to adjust the cable sag to from 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm), and a pivot fixture (Figure 2), for holding the base of an antenna-mast system, which can be moved horizontally to adjust the distance to the cable. The cable consists of 4 in. diameter 7 by 19 galvanized steel aircraft cable. The low point of the cable shall be between 28 and 29 feet (8.5 to 8.8 meters) above a horizontal plane through the pivot axis of the pivot fixture.

(d) Insulating Material Effectiveness Test procedure. (1) A short piece of typical tubular mast shall be attached to the antenna system to be tested, in accordance with mounting instructions provided with the antenna system by the manufacturer.

(2) If a feed cable is provided with the antenna system, it shall be used in the test. If no cable is provided with the antenna system, a RG-213 cable shall be used in the test (Mil Spec. MIL-C-17/ 75C, 15 March 1977). In either case, the cable shall be connected to the antenna system, installed parallel to the mast, and secured by taping or similar means at one point on the mast. The side of the bottom end of the cable also shall be secured to the mast.

(3) With the antenna system properly supported and isolated from ground and with the current monitoring device connected to the mast, the test rod shall be connected to the high voltage source and brought into contact with the antenna system at any point within the protection zone (see § 1204.2(k) of this subpart). For each contact point, the voltage shall be increased from 0 to 14.5 kV at a rate of at least 2 kV per second and held at 14.5 kV for 5.0 minutes. Current shall be monitored and the maximum recorded.

(e) Antenna-Mast System Test procedure. (1) The antenna system to be tested shall be attached to a mast in accordance with mounting instructions provided by the manufacturer. The mast shall be assembled of commercially available 11⁄4 inch outside diameter 16 gauge tubular steel sections, commonly sold for antenna-mast installations in 5 and 10 feet lengths. The

slip joints between the mast sections shall be secured (as with screws) to prohibit rotational or longitudinal movement at the joint. The length of the mast shall be such that when it is mounted in the pivot fixture of the high voltage test facility, the distance from the pivot to the uppermost point on the antenna system is 41.75 to 42.25 feet (12.7 to 12.9 meters).

(2) If a feed cable is provided with the antenna system, it shall be used in the test. If no cable is provided with the antenna system, a RG-213 feed cable shall be used in the test for specification of an RG-213 cable see (Mil. Spec. MIL-C-17/75C, 15 March 1977). In either case, the cable shall be connected to the antenna system, installed parallel to the mast, and secured by taping or similar means every two feet along the length of the mast. The side of the bottom end of the cable also shall be secured to the mast.

(3) The antenna-mast system shall be mounted in the pivot fixture. The pivot fixture shall be adjusted so that the point of impact between the antenna and the power line takes place at any desired point within the antenna's protection zone. The antenna-mast system shall then be erected to a position of up to 5° from the vertical, leaning toward the simulated power line (see Figure 4). The antenna-mast system shall then be released and allowed to fall against the power line. The test may be performed with different test positions such that the antenna system flexes after impact and slides off the power line and or so that it remains in contact with the power line for 5.0 minutes. Current flow from the antenna-mast system to ground shall be monitored and recorded for each test.

(f) Interpretation of Results. An antenna shall pass the Insulating Material Effectiveness Test or the Antennaelectrical Mast System Test if no breakdown occurs and if no current reading exceeds 5 mA rms.

§ 1204.5 Manufacturer's instructions.

(a) For all antennas covered under this part 1204, the following statement shall be included in the manufacturer's instructions, in addition to the material required by 16 CFR 1402.4(a)(1)(ii):